Beginning
with his first major Hollywood production,
Alfred Hitchcock began a familiar formula within his films which made for
countless successes. He very often used ordinary people, put into what he
called extraordinary situations. In the case of The Man Who Knew Too Much,
Leslie Banks stars as the ordinary man and title character. Once discovering a
plot for a political assassination, an otherwise average man is thrown into a
thrilling case of international intrigue.

The
recently released biopic about Alfred Hitchcock is primarily focused on the
risks that he took when making the film Psycho, which essentially started the
slasher genre and changed the direction of horror pictures forever more. This
was certainly an interesting point in Hitchcock’s career, but mostly because it
was later on in his career and many thought that his best pictures had already
been made. The truth is, even from this first Hollywood
production, Hitchcock was not afraid to take risks.

One
of these risks comes in the casting of the film’s most memorable villain,
Abbott (Peter Lorre). This would be Lorre’s transition into English-speaking
roles, though it came at a time of desperation. Although Lorre was an admired
and respected actor after M, the war had put a hold on a film career in Germany. The
Man Who Knew Too Much was a saving grace for Lorre’s career, and a risk that
paid off well for Hitchcock. So much so that it is hard not to miss Lorre most
of all in Hitchcock’s admirable second attempt at this film decades later.

The
Blu-ray release for The Man Who Knew Too Much includes a new digital
restoration of the film, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. There is also
an optional audio commentary with film historian Philip Kemp and a new interview
with fan and filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro. Archived material includes a 1972
interview with Hitchcock and audio excerpts from Truffaut’s legendary interview
from 1962. There is also a short featurette with a restoration demonstration
and a booklet insert featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme.

Tim
Burton once had a tumultuous relationship with Disney, though you would never
know it from his recent ventures. In his younger days Burton was a bit too edgy for Disney, and he
didn’t enjoy what little work he did with them. The main reason that The
Nightmare Before Christmas was released through Disney was the fact that he had
come up with the concept while working there, thereby contractually giving
Disney ownership. These days Burton has become a
much milder filmmaker, able to make films like Alice in Wonderland with Disney. It comes as
little surprise that he adapted one of his early short films into a
feature-length with them as well.

Frankenweenie
tells the tale of a boy who loves his dog so much that he brings him back from
the dead. It is a clear claymation adaptation of the classic black-and-white
Frankenstein from the 1930s, and borrows from several others along the way. Burton even goes so far
as to film the entire movie in black-and-white, a bold choice for animation in
the days of Pixar and technologically advantages. The countless classic film
references are sure to keep adults entertained, while the younger audiences can
experience the classic tale for the first time.

In
what clearly appears to be one of Burton’s
more self-autobiographical films, Frankenweenie’s protagonist is a young
aspiring filmmaker named Victor, who uses his dog Sparky as the star of his
monster pictures. When an accident occurs, taking away Victor’s only friend and
pet, a science experiment brings Sparky back. It also sets off a series of
events that result in a series of monsters being unleashed on the town.

The
Blu-ray 3D package includes four discs; Blu-ray 2D, Blu-ray 3D, DVD and Digital
Copy. The four-disc combo pack also includes a number of exclusive special
features, most notable being an all-new short film featuring Sparky. The DVD
special features include a look at the exhibit traveling the world comprising
of the film’s artwork and models from the film’s production. There is also a
music video. The Blu-ray has these features, as well as a tour of the London sets from the
film’s production and the original live-action short film that inspired this
movie.

I’m
not certain if there are more of these martial arts epics made in China than
any other genre of film, or if these are simply the ones most exported to the
United States, but either way we seem to have a new one on Blu-ray every other
week. Sometimes it becomes difficult to distinguish between them, as many have
similar plots and easily forgettable action sequences. Although The Assassins
is not the most original or memorable film to be released, it is one of the
better ones made in recent years.

The action is
spectacular, choreography and cinematography working together to make many
memorable sequences. The characters are also complex and well constructed. My
only criticism would be directed at the film’s unwillingness to commit entirely
to one character for inspiring sympathy from the audience. While trying to
create an array of emotions, the filmmakers stretch this attempt too far and
eliminate most sympathy from the distance created by so many characters
complexly weaved into the story.

Though there are
many unnecessary additions to the story, the focus quite clearly remains with
Ling Ju (Crystal Liu Yi Fei), a female warrior trained since childhood
alongside many other children. Though Ling is in love with fellow child soldier
Mu Shun (Tamaki Hiroshi), this must be put aside for the mission they were
trained for. After ten years of preparing, they are sent to assassinate the
most powerful man in the world, Cao Cao (Chow Yun Fat). The reasons behind the
assassination are much more complex than the emotional melodrama of Ling Ju and
Mu Shun, but unfortunately their story is placed in the background and the
family drama behind the assassination attempts is revealed.

As often is the
case, there is some historical accuracy to the assassination attempts and the
historical characters in the film, though I actually would have preferred more
from the characters who were quite clearly fictional. There is a love story at
the center of this film which is dismissed quickly into the story, which is
disappointing considering how strongly the film begins. The action remains
solid throughout the entire film, though there are large portions which remain
focused on the espionage of betrayal instead. The Blu-ray includes a
behind-the-scenes featurette and a trailer, but it is the visuals of the fights
in high definition which makes this package worthwhile.